Experts agree that seven to nine hours of sleep is ideal for most adults — but when it comes to your health, the total number of hours might not be the most important factor.

In a major new study led by teams from Peking University and Army Medical University, sleep irregularity has been linked to an increased risk of 172 different diseases.

The researchers analyzed nearly seven years of UK Biobank sleep data from 88,461 adults averaging 62 years of age, focusing on multiple traits that included nocturnal sleep duration, sleep onset timing, sleep rhythm and sleep fragmentation, according to a press release.

They then compared that data to disease outcomes from the National Health Service, the Cancer Registry and the National Death Index.

They found that for 92 diseases — Parkinson’s di

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